Sword-wielding woman arrested after entering Orange mosque

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called for increased security of mosques and Islamic schools after a woman armed with a sword entered an Orlando-area mosque Wednesday.

Dominique Vianneyte Eloi, 47, walked into the mosque at the Islamic Society of Central Florida on North Goldenrod Road sometime before 10 a.m., prompting a lockdown of Leaders Preparatory School, a private school on the property.

A school security officer told deputies he noticed Eloi was in the parking lot and tried asking her why she was there. The woman drove to a handicapped parking spot and got out armed with a sword, jail records show.

The security officer notified the office to call 911 and grabbed a shovel as a weapon. Eloi walked into the mosque armed with a sword and exited a few minutes later. Student had left the mosque just moments prior to her arrival, reports show.

Orange County deputies said Eloi does not appear to have any ties to the mosque or school. When confronted by deputies she pretended to only speak German and refused to answer questions. Deputies discovered the sword lying on top a counter at the southern end of the mosque. It was retained as evidence.

Eloi later said, in English, "I just wanted to make a donation so they could hear my case," a report shows.

Eloi was taken to the Orange County Jail where she was uncooperative with deputies and jail staff, reports show.

"Houses of worship and schools nationwide must be protected from harm or threats of harm," said CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Hassan Shibly in a statement.

Eloi, who has no prior criminal history in Florida, was charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds, disrupting a school function and aggravated assault with a weapon.